How Can I Be Saved? What the Bible Says About Salvation
Summary
Sin separates humanity from a holy God, and no one can save himself. Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, died in our place, paying sin’s penalty, and rose from the dead. Salvation is God’s gift, received through repentance and personal faith in Jesus alone. Those who receive Christ are forgiven, credited with His righteousness, given eternal life and the Holy Spirit, and become God’s children.
Humanity’s Greatest Problem Is Sin
What is your greatest problem? Many people think it is a lack of money, but it isn’t. Your greatest problem—and mine—is sin. What is sin?
The God who created you is unimaginably holy, righteous, and just. He deserves and requires complete, flawless devotion to His moral standards. Sin is falling short of that requirement.
Jesus met God’s standard about 2,000 years ago. He lived according to His Father’s will rather than His own (Matthew 26:39). He never missed the mark (1 John 3:5).
Anyone who claims to meet God’s perfect moral standard is deceiving himself (1 John 1:8). A single moral failure makes you a sinner, and the penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23).
You have probably demonstrated that you are a sinner within the last five minutes. Unlike Jesus, you and the rest of humanity naturally say, “Not God’s will, but mine be done.” This self-centered tendency is as natural as breathing.
Salvation Is God’s Gift
Imagine that you cannot swim and are drowning. You need to be rescued. It is too late for swimming lessons. You cannot save yourself. You need a rescuer.
The same is true in the moral realm. You sink like a rock in God’s moral ocean. You cannot save yourself; you need someone to save you.
God loves you despite your sin (John 3:16). You do not deserve it, but God has graciously provided Jesus as your rescuer. Take God at His word and trust in the rescue He has provided (Ephesians 2:8). Salvation is a gift, not a reward for good behavior. It depends not on what you do, but on accepting what Jesus has done for you.
Jesus Christ Provided the Way of Salvation
Because Jesus was sinless, He had no sin penalty to pay. He alone was qualified to pay the death penalty for your sin.
He sacrificed Himself and died in your place (Romans 5:8). He took your sin, death, and judgment upon Himself. God can justly forgive you when you trust in Christ’s sacrifice because Jesus paid the penalty your sins deserve. God provided Jesus to save you.
Jesus Rose from the Dead
Jesus died in your place, but the story did not end there. He was buried and rose from the dead on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:4).
His resurrection demonstrated that God accepted His payment for your sins. God is both just and the One who justifies those who have faith in Jesus (Romans 3:26). Jesus conquered sin and death for you (Romans 8:2). He lives forever, and because He has rescued you, you can live forever with Him.
Salvation Is Found in Jesus Christ Alone
Jesus is God’s only provision for sin. No other religion offers a solution to your greatest problem. You can come to the Father only through faith in Jesus (John 14:6). Salvation is found in no one else (Acts 4:12).
Have you received the pardon He freely offers? Jesus summarized the response He requires as repentance and belief in the good news (Mark 1:15).
Repent and Turn to God
Receiving God’s pardon requires repentance and faith. Repentance means turning from living for yourself to living for Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:15). God will empower you to do this (Philippians 2:13). You do not have to clean up your life first. You can come as you are, but you must come with a changed attitude toward
God—an attitude that will change how you live.
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ
Faith is more than agreeing with facts about Jesus. Paul and Silas told the Philippian jailer to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved (Acts 16:31). Saving faith means personally trusting in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection rather than in your own performance to gain God’s approval.
Receive Jesus Christ Personally
Salvation is not automatic. You must personally receive the gift God offers. When you do, you become God’s child (John 1:12).
Receiving Jesus as your Savior and Lord means openly professing Him as Lord and believing that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9-10). Genuine faith reveals itself through public identification with Jesus.
What Happens When You Are Saved?
When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, God forgives your sins (Ephesians 1:7). Jesus’s righteousness is credited to you (2 Corinthians 5:21). You have eternal life and will not come under condemnation (John 5:24). God’s purposes become yours; the Holy Spirit comes to live within you (Romans 8:9).
How Can I Be Saved?
You can receive Jesus now. The following prayer expresses the response of a heart that is ready to live God’s way: “Lord Jesus, thank You for dying on the cross in my place and taking my sin, death, and judgment upon Yourself. I open the door of my life to You. Please come into my life and take control. Thank You for forgiving my sins and making me a child of God. I want to become like You. Amen.”
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